History

It appears that calendar plates were first introduced in the late 1800's in England. They began to be produced in America after the turn of the century and quickly became popular advertising gimmicks for local businesses. Given away to customers during the Christmas season, these inexpensive and quickly produced plates were designed to keep customers coming back to a store year after year.

Calendar plates were simply porcelain, semi-porcelain, or pottery plates with a decal design affixed to the plate underneath a glaze. Most also had an advertisement for a business on the front of the plate underneath the decal. The backs of many plates were marked with a manufacturer's name or symbol.

It is difficult today to find calendar plates without at least one flaw in their condition. There are several reasons for these problems:

Most undecorated plates were actually factory "seconds" sold to those who would later affix the decals and advertisements. Plates with surface flaws such as bumps or small holes appear frequently on the market.

	Since the plates were produced so quickly, many have decals that are missing spots, are off-center, or are even affixed upside-down.
	Many customers simply did not take very good care of these advertising "freebies". Some plates found their way into the oven for reheating food and others were used for feeding the family pet. Scratches, staining, wear, chips, and cracks are all evidence of improper care.

Any flaw in a plate's condition detracts from its value. Most plates sell for between $25.⁰⁰ and $75.⁰⁰ depending on their condition and the uniqueness of their design. Severely flawed plates may only be worth a few dollars while rare or desirable plates may sell into the hundreds of dollars.

Calendar plate production virtually ceased with the Depression and the coming of World War II. Some merchants began giving away a plainly decorated calendar plate in the 1950's and by the 1960's companies such as Alfred Meakin and Wedgwood began issuing calendar plates for collectors. Many calendar plate collectors, myself included, only collect the early (pre-1950's) plates. Some have amassed collections of several hundred plates, many plates with the same decal but with different advertisements. One can only wonder what those turn of the century merchants would say if they were here to see how calendar plate lovers have turned an inexpensive means of advertising into such beautiful and lasting collections.

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